Swear and Shake

About
Swear and Shake

in a city that offers endless new sounds, New York-based band Swear & Shake’s loyal fan base and earnest talent have driven them on tours across the US and into the focal point of fawning critics. The band’s star seems to be continually on the rise, as they play premiere Manhattan and Brooklyn venues and release their fully-Kickstarter-funded LP, Maple Ridge, only a year after their formation.

Swear & Shake is Kari Spieler (vocals, lyrics, guitar), Adam McHeffey (vocals, lyrics, guitar, banjo, piano), Shaun Savage (electric bass), and Tom Elefante (percussion). The band formed in 2010 after Kari helped Adam record a demo one of his original songs, “Johnnie.” From that moment, they knew they were on to something good. Adam recruited longtime friends Shaun and Tom to flesh out the sounds behind Kari’s soulful, smoky voice and Adam’s catchy folk strumming.

The band was a hit from their first release in November 2010, a five track album aptly titled “Extended Play,” which received over 200,000 Creative Commons downloads in North American and Europe. In the first few months, favorite tunes like “Johnnie” and “Bones” started to pop up in covers on YouTube.